Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...A restless, edgy and frequently thrilling fusion of projections, movement and vocal pyrotechnics, Robert Longbottom's eye-popping, all-new, post-Hollywood production of "Dreamgirls" reinvents this 28-year-old title for an "American Idol" generation."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...This electrifying touring revival of the 1981 musical features dynamic singing and dancing, slick but never overwhelming multimedia design, eye-popping costumes, and fast-paced, dramatically charged storytelling."
Copley News Service
- Highly Recommended
"...The new revival of “Dreamgirls” has assembled as impressive a collection of big voices as I’ve ever heard on the musical stage. And do they ever sing big! Lovers of blast furnace vocalizing will be in pure heaven as one singer after another raises the decibel count to the stratosphere. And these performers do this eight times a week?"
Talkin Broadway
- Highly Recommended
"...As amazing a ride as the production values provide, this touring incarnation does show how strong is the writing of Eyen and composer Henry Krieger. It makes one wonder what it might be like to see a more intimate production where we could get closer to the characters and hear their words without amplification. Some of Chicago's off-Loop directors were in the audience on opening night, and let's hope they're asking the same questions. Dreamgirls, with its four-year Broadway run, slew of Tonys and a popular film version, is perhaps Broadway's least-performed bona fide classic. We waited a long time for this top-shelf stage revival. With any luck Dreamgirls will soon get to be a standard."
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...Chicago, grab your tickets and fasten your seat belts for what is without question the most exciting, energetic and electrifying piece of musical theater to hit the Windy City in years. Imagine a thrilling, pulse-stopping theatrical equivalent of Space Mountain. "Dreamgirls" is a roller-coaster ride of fast-paced staging, dynamic choreography, powerful, heartfelt songs and enough spectacle to fill three theaters."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...
It’s an exciting ride, to be sure. Longbottom’s cast achieves mostly solid, sometimes stellar musical performances. Newcomer Angela has the killer pipes to step into the shoes previously worn by Jennifers Holliday and Hudson, closing the first act with a worthy “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” And onetime Black Ensemble Theater regular Gregory is electrifying as James “Thunder” Early, the show’s James Brown stand-in. But the production highlights the weaknesses of Eyen’s book (nonmusical scenes drag), and Longbottom seems interested only in the showbiz glitz and not in the parallel story of the integration of popular music, which here feels like an afterthought."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...Dreamgirls is a manic, polished and classy music and dance romp through Motown. You’ll quickly get excited by the sheer energy and deep emotional truth in this modern operetta. Powerful and richly evocative voices nail the tunes as the nuances of the struggles to attain and survive fame and fortune in the music world is sensitively presented. The joyous and angst ridden world of R and B music makes for a most engaging theatrical experience. The exemplary production values are amazing. Take a trip into the world of R and B-it’ll send you soaring."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...Although the largest hands were reserved for Angela and Gregory on opening night, the rest of the cast are not exactly slackers either. Chaz Lamar Shepherd brings a Mephistophlean smile to the smooth talking but duplicitous car salesman turned producer Curtis Taylor, Jr. American Idol starlet Syesha Mercado is a lovely Deena and Adrienne Warren a sizzling Lorrell. This production also interpolates the song "Listen," written for Beyonce in the film but nicely shared here by Effie and Deena as a second act duet. Given the talents of Ms. Angela and Ms. Mercado, it is a welcome asset. There is strong support as well from Milton Gregory Nealy (a veteran of the original Broadway cast), Trevon Davis and Margaret Hoffman among the exceptional 26 member cast. Henry Krieger's Motown flavored score is brought to exciting life in the way only a first-rate orchestra can. Don't miss your opportunity to make this "Dream" production a reality."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Highly Recommended
"...Dreamgirls is more than just elegant gowns and flared pants—it’s about the singing. And this show, produced by Broadway in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, definitely delivers. These actors can wail. From guttural growls that convey the rawest of emotions to controlled, sustained tones that capture the world-weariness of the characters, the Dreamgirls cast sports an impressive set of pipes."
